Elon Musk Violates Hatch Act, Trump Stares Down Big Problem
Musk breaks the rules as Donald bans a reporter from the White House, and an appeals court rules against his administration -- while the latest major development could derail his presidency
Elon Musk’s visit to the Oval Office yesterday was a full-blown display of lawlessness, as he openly violated the Hatch Act.
While the cameras were rolling
The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from “engaging in partisan political activity” and/or “wearing partisan political buttons, t-shirts, signs, or other items while on duty or in a federal building.”
Given that Musk is leading a new government 'agency' and has undeniably been exercising 'governmental' power (such as purges and budget cuts), this technically makes him a federal employee.
By wearing a MAGA hat in the Oval, Musk was indeed in violation of the Hatch Act and should therefore be subject to penalties.
I’m not naive…
Nothing will happen to Musk, and he will face no consequences.
But I wanted to show you yet another example of how his administration disregards the rule of law — at seemingly every turn.
Speaking of lawlessness
The White House barred an Associated Press reporter from covering yesterday’s Oval Office meeting after their publication refused to change ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’ in their coverage.
An authoritarian crackdown on the free press and a violation of the First Amendment — all over an international body of water that Trump has no authority to rename.
Oh well.
In better news
A federal appeals court rejected Trump’s request to pause a lower court’s decision to halt his unlawful federal funding freeze.
This is the first of Trump’s cases to make it to appeal, and it was the first — of hopefully many — to rule against him.
This decision made his press secretary furious
Here’s how Karoline Leavitt reacted to the Circuit Court’s ruling, which she called ‘unlawful’: “These unlawful injunctions are a continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump. The White House will continue to fight these battles in court, and we expect to be vindicated”
Even when he’s the President who controls all three branches of government, somehow, he is still the victim in the eyes of MAGA.
P.S. Her outrage is a sign that the correct decision was made.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is staring down a new problem
Not only are the courts stepping in to block his administration, but another major development could derail Trump’s presidency: